Seed biology

Seed biology – from lab to field

Seed Biology Updates – Highlights and New Discoveries in Seed Dormancy and Germination Research

An understanding of the biology of seeds has been greatly advanced in recent years. The progresses, particularly in the field of seed dormancy and germination research, have been made at a remarkable speed. Some of the possible epigenetic mechanisms, including an involvement of non-coding RNA, which were predicted for DELAY OF GERMINATION1 just a few years ago, have now been demonstrated with s...

Seed biology in the 21st century: perspectives and new directions.

Seeds are a fundamental component of the plant life cycle, as they store the genetic information necessary for the next generation of plants to disperse, establish, develop and eventually reproduce to maintain the species. However, these mysterious genetic capsules contain many secrets that have yet to be revealed. For instance, the mechanism(s) by which certain seeds undergo extreme desiccatio...

The Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Seed Storage Proteins

Most plants synthesise proteins in their organs of reproduction and propagation, such as seeds of gymnosperms and angiosperms. Storage proteins are usually located in two tissues. In dicotyledonous plants they may be located in the diploid cotyledons (exalbuminous}, in the triploid endosperm (albuminous) or, occasionally, in both tissues. In monocotyledonous cereals they are primarily located i...

Glass transitions in soybean seed : relevance to anhydrous biology.

We have investigated the mechanism by which anhydrobiotic organisms can survive severe dehydration. The method used was measurement of the rotational diffusion coefficient of a hydrophilic spin probe, inserted in the cytoplasm of soybean (Glycine max L.) axes, as a function of temperature and sample water content. Results indicate the existence of a hydration-dependent glass-like transition at ...